Monthly Archives: April 2010

Daddy's Little Apprentice
Malachy LOVES projects. Almost every day, he’ll have some kind of project in mind and will plan and carry out accordingly. Whenever Shien or I are doing something, he feels he should be involved. So, he’ll join Shien in her cooking and he’ll join me in fixing things or putting things together, whether we want his help or not. 😉 He used to be a bit afraid of my tools, especially the power tools, but no more. The noise doesn’t scare him anymore. The past few days, he’s been playing with his Tinker Toys, and they’re awesome, because he can really be creative with them. Shien helped him make a guitar and mic stand, so he put on his “Party CD Mix,” and started singing with his “equipment.” Gotta’ get that on film later. Just the other day, we had a video removed from YouTube because of copyright infringement! Couldn’t believe it. Malachy was just singing What a Wonderful World, but the company that owns the rights to that song claimed that it was infringing. So, we have to be extra careful what we put on in terms of music. Otherwise, YouTube e-mailed that they could delete my whole account along with all of the videos I’ve uploaded!
This one’s safe, though. It’s just Malachy helping me put together his new bookshelf. Trying to get more organized. I was going to do it myself, but he insisted on helping. Turned out pretty cool. My little apprentice… 😉

Poor Malachy has allergies. I guess it was inevitable since both Shien and I have allergies. Just didn’t think he would have them at such a young age. A bunch of his classmates have it really bad, too. Wish he could take medicine, like me, but he’s been pretty good, considering. Thank goodness he can blow his nose! I seriously didn’t learn how to blow my nose until college. My “snorting” bugged Shien so much that I decided if I was going to marry this girl, I better learn to stop making gross noises and learn to blow my nose! 😉
So, when Malachy’s nose gets really stuffy, he is actually able to tell us he needs help to blow his nose, even if it’s in the middle of the night. One night, he was coughing from his drainage and stuffed up nose, so Shien went to help him. After blowing his nose, he thanked her and went right back to bed.
Not only does his nose get stuffy, though. His eyes get itchy and he sometimes licks his lips till he’s pink all around.
Hoping this allergy season goes away soon! Back at my dad’s house, I once cut out this huge headline from a newspaper that said, “ALLERGIES BE GONE!” It’s still hanging in my old room! 😉 Maybe I should get it and post it in our bedroom for Malachy. 🙂

So, we took Malachy to his first movie on Saturday, How to Train Your Dragon. Shien didn’t think it was necessary, but I really wanted to watch it in 3D. So, instead of 13 dollars, it was 17 dollars for adults. (EACH!) And, for Malachy, it was $13 instead of $9. Took a cab there to make sure we got there on time.
I played the trailer for him before we went, just to see if he really wanted to go. He said it was “so cool,” so it alleviated my fears that it would be too scary for him. I asked him if he was sure, and he said he was sure, so we decided to go for it. 😉 I absolutely loved it. Great story, great effects. It was about trying to fit in. It was about abandoning stereotypes. It was about taking risks. It was about facing your fears. It was about finding yourself. Finally, there was the father/son relationship, where the father struggles with who is son is and what he is becoming, and the son wants so desperately to please his dad. I guess I was able to identify as a son and also as a dad! Powerful stuff! 😉
As for Malachy, Mommy had him use his whisper voice, because he had so many questions and was using his regular loud voice in the beginning. But, oh how he LOVED the popcorn, the Raisinettes, the Gummy Bears, and the pink lemonade. Oh, how he LOVED the junk. After the movie, he was ready to pounce on Shien for more and more junk, but I made him watch the closing credits, as Shien ran off to discard of what little was left. Ai ya! In a way, Malachy is our Dragon. So much is unknown, and everyday is an adventure. I think he “trains” us as much as we “train” him. 😉
Already, we have to start thinking about where he will go for Kindergarten… Sometimes, having options makes things a bigger burden, but then again, it’s good that we do have a choice… I think. 😉 Like the movie, it’s definitely easier if things are decided for you, but, oh so empowering when you’re able to decide for yourself. I guess we’ll have to wait and see… 🙂

PoPo (Grandma) came to town this week, and on the first day, after school, Malachy told Mommy and Daddy to go away on a date and leave him with PoPo. That was crazy. He gave us a blessing to go on a date! I think Shien and I have been on less than a dozen dates since Malachy was born. We are finally at a place where we don’t have to worry about him waking up and us not being around for him. And thanks to PoPo, we worry even less. 😉 Thanks, PoPo!
Oftentimes, when we did go on a date, we made sure he was asleep before we went to a dinner or a movie.
This time, he almost changed his mind after his nap. He was starting to try to disallow us to go. But, once we were at Grandma’s place, he was okay. In fact, he had the whole evening planned out, after Stella suggested making Rice Krispies treats. It was cool to hear about the details after coming home from our date.
Basically, after we left, he made a grocery list for Stella. Stella let him be very involved in the Rice Krispies process. (Thanks, Stella! 😉 ) She also said she was touched when he said that he was making some for the poor people of Haiti.
After making the treats and eating some, PoPo told him it was time for a shower. She was shocked at how agreeable he was. Usually, there is major resistance because shower = taking him away from his fun. In fact, she said he was ready for bed right after shower! Another shocker, because that’s usually another time of resistance. She told us, she was saying to herself, “What is going on?” After Stella read him a story, he told PoPo that he was ready for bed and wanted music, but PoPo was not allowed to sing. So, after she played the CD, he was asleep before the music was over! (He did wake up at 5AM the next morning, though… 🙂 ) Unbelievable!!! Here’s to more amazingly smooth dates in the future! Thanks, Malachy! 😉